Wrist Pain and Wrist Injuries

Wrist injuries are among the most common injuries seen in emergency rooms in America today. There are a myriad of ways to injure the wrist, with most injuries falling into two categories, acute and/or chronic injuries.

Acute injuries are commonly the result of a fall. The impact from the body’s weight coming down abruptly on the joints in the wrist often causes the distal radius (one of two bones that comprises the forearm) to fracture. Frequently injured, nearly one in six bone fractures treated in emergency rooms across the U.S. is a broken wrist. People participating in sports, particularly contact sports, are very susceptible to these injuries.

Chronic injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, are often are the result of repetitive motion. It is common for those working assembly lines in manufacturing, food processing, and data entry to suffer from this condition. In fact, workers in these industries have a tripled risk in the amount of occurrences over data-entry personnel, who have been the predominant sufferers of carpal tunnel.

Another problematic component of wrist injuries is that many of the symptoms are very similar from one injury to the next. Wrist pain is the most common of the symptoms along with swelling and they are evident in nearly all wrist injuries. A physical exam of the injured area by your doctor will help determine what type of wrist injury you have and what the treatment will be.

Treatment of wrist pain often requires resting the area; applying an ice pack for 15-20 minutes 3-4 times per day and taking an over the counter pain reliever with anti-inflammatory medicine. Before seeing a physician, try R.I.C.E. for 24 hours along with the pain reliever and see if the symptoms diminish, if they persist, then it’s time to see your doctor.

The RICE protocol:

• Rest

• Ice-to alleviate pain and swelling

• Compression-wrist brace or splint to compress and immobilize the wrist

• Elevation-above the heart

Part of the difficulty of recovering from a wrist injury is keeping the wrist immobile to allow the wrist to heal. Often, wrist braces, splints, or wrist supports facilitate wrist healing.

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A break of the hand in the 4th metacarpal and 5th metacarpal (the "knuckles" on the pinky and finger next to it). Also known as a "Metacarpal Fracture", a typical boxer’s fracture is a break at the neck (the most slender part of the metacarpal) of the bone and this usually occurs in the ring finger (4th metacarpal fracture) or pinkie (5th metacarpal fracture). Boxer's Fracture Treatment can include a splint, instead of a cast. Cold therapy can also be used initially to reduce swelling and reduce pain.

A broken wrist is a very common injury. Broken wrist actually refers to the fracture of the distal radius (thus it being called sometimes a "fractured wrist"). Symptoms of a Broken Wrist are pain at the wrist joint, followed by swelling of the wrist and often the fracture is evident to the unaided eye. Over the years, doctors have been more inclined to use a wrist support for broken wrist recovery.

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects the median nerve of the hand, the nerve that connects the hand to the forearm. The median nerve is responsible for the sensation of the palm side of the thumb and fingers, with the exception of the pinkie finger. A narrow, rigid tunnel at the base of the hand comprised of ligament and bones accommodates the median nerve and tendons. Carpal tunnel syndrome results from compression of the median nerve within the tunnel.

Gymnast wrist refers to an inflammation and irritation of the epiphysis (growth plate) located at the end of the radius or forearm where the arm connects to the wrist to form the hand. This area is particularly vulnerable due to the nature of the workout of the gymnast and affects almost 40% of younger gymnasts.

Along with the distal radial fracture the scaphoid is a common site and often referred to as a broken wrist. The size and location of the scaphoid make it susceptible to injuries and breaks when it is placed under extreme pressure, often times that pressure presents itself when a person attempts to break their fall using outstretched hands, particularly trying to break your fall with your palms.

Swollen Wrist - A frequent symptom of many wrist injuries, soft tissue wrist swelling (edema) is often the first sign that there has been trauma to the wrist. Along with mild to moderate pain or discomfort, a swollen wrist lets the patient know that they need to seek medical treatment soon, although initially there are steps to help relieve the pain and swelling.

The ulna and the radius are the two bones that form the forearm. The two bones bridge the distance between the wrist and the elbow. The ulna is susceptible to “Nightstick Fracture”, an isolated break of the bone largely due to impact to the ulna. While an ulnar fracture includes a substantial list of causes for this injury, the dominant cause is contact sports.

Wrist Strain - Breaking a fall with outstretched hands often results in a wrist fracture. However, it may also result in a sprain of the ligaments of the wrist. A wrist sprain is the stretching or tearing of one of ligaments that connect the bones of the wrist.

A wrist strain, is an injury to the muscles or tendons of the wrist in which the fibers tear as the result of being stretched beyond capacity, and are often the result of acute or direct injury but may be the consequence of repetitive motion.